Emile eoitsseil



UNITED STATESV PATENT erica.

EMILE ROUSSEIL, OF WEST NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

LIFE-PRESERVER.

Specieation forming part of Letters Patent No. 511,971, dated January 9, 1866.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EMILE RoUssniL, of West Newark, in the county ot' Essex and State ot' New Jersey, have invented a new and Improved Life-Preserver; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable those skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specitcation, in which- Figure l represents a perspective view of this invention. Fig. 2 is a transvere section of one ot' the hollow drums or floats which I use in the construction of my life-preserver. Fig. 3 is a detached elevation ot' the signalflag.

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts.

This invention consists in a life-preserver composed ot' two hollow drums, made ot' tinned sheet-iron or other suitable material, and provided with openings through which valuable papers and other articles can be introduced, and which can be hermetically stopped up by a cork or other means, in combination with a body-belt, to which said drums are attached, and which is supported by suitable shoulderstraps, one of which is provided with a pocket to receive a signal-dag in such a manner that, in case ot' accident on board of a vessel, the life-preserver can be securely strapped to the body of a person, and all danger ot' displacement is avoided, and, furthermore, said person is enabled to place into the hollow drums papers of value, and when iioating in the water he or she has the means, by pulling out the signal-flag and waving it in the air, to attract the attention of passing vessels.

A A represent two hollow drums, made ot' tinued sheet-iron or any other suitable material, and provided with openings a, which are stopped up by corks b or other suitable stopwhich they are secured to the body-belt B. A

buckle, f, or other suitable fastening, serves to adjust this belt on the body, and said bodybelt is secured in its position by shoulderstraps O, which may or may not be adjustable by buckles or other means. One ot' these shoulder-straps is provided with a pocket, g, intended to receive the signal-dag D, and the statt' of this flag is made so that it can be folded, as shown in Fig. l, or extended, as shown in Fig. 3. A cord, h, attached to the body-belt, may serve to save other persons by giving to them the means to hold ou to some support.

By the shoulder-straps and body-belt the floats are prevented from slipping down and raisingthe legs of the person using the lite preserver, and by having the arms free such person is enabled to swing the signal-Hag and to attract the attention of passing vessels.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

A lite-preserver constructed of two hollow drums or iloats, with openings to receive valuable papers or documents, and with depressions d, to receive the straps e,iu combination with the body-belt B, shoulder-straps C, and pocket g, intended to receive a signal-flag, D, substantially as and for the purpose described. The above speciiication of my invention 'signed by me this 31st day of October, 1865.

EMILE ROUSSEIL. Witnesses: M. M. LIVINGSTON, WM. E. LYON. 

